Malawi Unveils First National Ecosystem Assessment, Warning of a Biodiversity System Under Strain

Malawi has launched its first national ecosystem assessment, a sweeping evidence review that finds the country’s forests, lakes and wetlands are degrading rapidly even as millions of Malawians depend on them for food, income and water.

The assessment was released alongside two other major documents: Malawi’s Third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2025–2035) and its Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Officials and partners described the coordinated launch as a milestone in aligning the country’s environmental policies with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the global agreement for urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

The launch event was followed by a multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at translating the assessment’s findings into policy, planning and on-the-ground management. UNEP-WCMC provided technical support to the process, and in a statement at the launch thanked the authors, reviewers, Indigenous Peoples, local knowledge holders, policymakers and stakeholders involved, recognizing their essential contributions to the outcome.